Chapter Twenty-one
Quinn left the site survey for the new bank, satisfiedthey’d break ground in the next week or two. Since she was on the west side ofthe lake, she decided to swing by the bakery. Joss had mentioned she had a crewworking weekends to keep the timeline on track. It wasn’t her habit to keepsuch a close eye on the construction phase, but this wasn’t a typical project.Or, perhaps more accurately, it wasn’t a typical client.
She arrived, expecting the sound of hammers and saws to greether. She heard neither. In fact, it was so quiet, she could make out the callof a chickadee chattering in a nearby tree.
Several vehicles sat in the small lot, though, including Joss’struck. A familiar foreboding settled under her ribs. She walked to the backdoor and found it ajar. There were definitely people inside. No noise fromtools, but a pair of frustrated voices and a handful of expletives greeted her.“Hello?”
Whatever conversation was unfolding stopped and Joss called out,“Quinn? Is that you?”
She stepped inside. Gone was the plastic sheeting from theearlier phase of the project. New walls were up, but wiring still protrudedfrom where outlets should be. The flooring looked about half done. “It is. Badtime?”
Joss rounded the corner. “More like a bad day.”
Her stomach sank. “What’s wrong?”
“Half the flooring we ordered is the wrong thing.”
“How could we have ordered half the wrong thing? We’re using allthe same.” Amanda had decided she liked the wood grain tile so much, she wantedit in the kitchen, too.
“We didn’t. Half the boxes are the wrong color.”
“Oh.” That wasn’t good.
“I should have opened them all when they arrived, but I checkedone and assumed they were all the same.”
“Which should have been a reasonable assumption.” One she wouldhave made, and readily forgiven. Only it wasn’t hers to forgive.
“Maybe, but it’s a costly one.”
It wasn’t the money she worried about. The supplier would correctthe mistake without question. It was time. “What are we talking about?”
“Well, two to three days to get the right materials in.”
“That’s not so bad.” They had a target completion date, but itwas padded a little.
“But a couple more to tear up what got laid before I caught it.”
“Oh.” Her mind raced, imagining possible solutions.
“It’s my own damn fault. Charlotte was sick yesterday, so Ididn’t come in. And my guys didn’t think twice about it. They just figured itwas supposed to be one color in the kitchen and a different color in the diningarea.”
“Where is the stuff that’s wrong?” She didn’t want to ask Amandato change her mind, but it would only be fair to give her options.
“The dining area. We’re going to fix it, without question. And ifI can talk a few guys into overtime, we might make up at least some of thetime.”
“All right.” This sort of thing happened. She hated it, but shewas used to it. But telling a client and telling her girlfriend felt likevastly different propositions.
Joss gave her a knowing look. “I know this is the sort of thingyou communicate, but I can.”
Quinn shook her head. “No, no. I can do it. I should do it.”
“Obviously, I’ll absorb the cost of the tile we wasted. And theovertime.”
In addition to being good at her job, and a fellow lesbian, Josshad the highest integrity of any contractor she’d ever worked with. “Let metalk with Amanda, see how upset she is.”
Joss winced. “I’m really sorry.”
Quinn waved her off. “This kind of thing happens, way more oftenwith everyone else I work with than you.”
“Still.”
She could tell part of Joss’s frustration was her own sense ofresponsibility, but part of it was knowing Quinn’s personal connection toAmanda. No way should Joss take on the responsibility for that. “It’s fine.I’ll see if Amanda is home and swing by to talk in person.”
Joss blew out a breath. “Sounds good. Let me know what she says.”
“Will do.”
Quinn left, sending Amanda a text before heading toward herhouse. When she arrived, Amanda had scones and fresh coffee waiting, making herfeel like a heel. She conveyed the issue, sort of wanting to leave out the partabout half of the wrong floor being installed before it was caught. But shedidn’t. She didn’t believe in hiding things from a client. She believed evenless in hiding things from a partner.
Partner might be a bit of a stretch, but the principle wasn’t.
“It should only push things back by a few days.”
Amanda closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Part of her wantedto pull out her stern, this is not acceptable routine. She’d perfected it inthe early days of the business, when suppliers and the occasional contractorthought they could push around a newcomer—a woman, no less—when they didn’tdeliver. But she didn’t want to do that. Partly because it was Quinn and shedidn’t want any hard feelings between them. But more, she trusted it was anhonest mistake, and not even the doing of Quinn or Joss. Also, she didn’t needto be that woman anymore. She didn’t have anything to prove.
“How mad are you?”
She opened her eyes and found Quinn regarding her with concern.“I’m not mad.”
“You’re saying that in that really ominous way women who areseething do.”
The description made her laugh and dispelled any lingeringfrustration. “I’m not. I promise.”
“Joss thinks she’ll be able to make up some of the time if shecan get a rush delivery of the correct tiles. And she’ll absorb the cost.”
Amanda shook her head. “I’m really not angry. And I trust her tomake whatever call she thinks is best. If that makes sense for her crew, great.If not, I’m okay with a short delay.”
Quinn seemed genuinely confused. “You are?”
She tipped her head slightly. “As long as it is, in fact, a shortdelay.”
Quinn’s shoulders relaxed. “Okay. That’s great. Thank you forbeing understanding.”
She didn’t need to ask, but curiosity won out. “Did you expect meto flip out?”
“No, but I did expect you to be
